Science Pipeline

Paper examines diversity in atmospheric science

Katy Human, Spring 2010

Soon after Leslie Hartten of PSD began her career at
NOAA and CIRES, the research meteorologist made a surprising realization.
Just a few years past her Ph.D., she was the third eldest woman in her
research group.

"I thought that was bizarre," Hartten said. "I wasn't that old or
experienced. How could that be?"

Now, Hartten and colleague Peggy LeMone (National Center for Atmospheric
Research, NCAR, and new President of the American Meteorological Society,
AMS) have conducted a "cohort analysis" on several sets of diversity data
collected over the years.

They conclude that although both gender and ethnic diversity have increased
in the atmospheric sciences, those seeking to increase diversity in the
field need to pay attention to the details. Among them:

The importance of community colleges: 11 percent of students pursuing
bachelor's degrees in atmospheric sciences held associates or similar
degrees. Reasons for trends: In younger cohorts, the proportion of women in
the field is higher, but primarily because the number of men in the field
has dropped. A single program can make a difference: SOARS, a research and
mentoring program run by the University Corporation for Atmospheric
Research (with sponsorship from NOAA and CIRES) had supported 84 non-white
students by 2004. That's a high number relative to the total number (412)
of non-white atmospheric scientists who responded to an AMS survey in 2005.

Hartten said she and LeMone have both had a longstanding interest not only
in science, "but in how it gets done. Part of that is who scientists are,"
Hartten said.

For her, the most compelling reason to foster diversity in the field of
atmospheric sciences is to improve the enterprise of science itself: "You
get the most creative approaches when you draw from the largest pool.
That's where I come from."

Hartten has served as chair of the American Meteorological Society's Board
on Women and Minorities, and has been a mentor for undergraduates in SOARS
for nine years.

The cohort analysis paper will be published by the Bulletin of the American
Meteorological Society.